Hero
by Formerly Known As
Summary: Sonic mourns the loss of Shadow. Sonic's friends worry about him. But things aren't always what they seem.
1. A Hero's Perspective

Hero  
By Formerly Known As

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the related characters. In this case,  
I think Sega does. I DO own this piece of writing and if you steal you will be  
tortured by the demons of hell. Or my lawyers. Or both. Clear enough? Okay  
then!

Warning this sucker is IN THE ROUGH. And I mean rough. As in…unedited,  
uncompleted, and just…well…What I mean to say is that if you review this piece  
(I would like some feed back but I'm not greedy) just be gentle. Be very  
gentle.

They call me a hero. Give me high fives. Salute me. I want to kill them. All  
of them. Don't they get it? Don't they understand that being called a hero  
means nothing?

It doesn't pay the bills. It doesn't put food on the table. It doesn't earn me  
friends, only lackeys and clinger-ons. Hero. Saved the world. It sounds so  
important. But in truth, it means nothing. Jack squat.

Tails is getting all concerned about me. So is Knuckles. He hasn't gone back  
up to the damn rock in the sky. His words not mine. Amy seems to be in a near  
panic over my mood. Even that stupid Omochao seems worried about me. Everyone's  
worried about me. And I can't find the balls to care.

I know I've been moody lately. Haven't been myself, says Knuckles. Says Tails.  
They all say that. Well I say fuck off. They don't know me well enough to know  
what is me and what isn't. All they see is my attitude. The cool exterior I  
throw off. They don't know me. They just know the hero. The dumb stupid,  
pointless hero.

Okay, maybe I'm being a little harsh. Maybe I'm being a little cruel. But I'm  
finding it so hard to care. So hard. Everything seems harder these days. Even  
running. Especially running. Cause every time I run, I see his face. His face  
staring at me. Watching me as he falls away.

Why did he have to do that? Why did he have to be so brave, so great, so...  
heroic? Why did he have to die? Why, why WHY! Nothing ever makes sense  
anymore. It just hurts. I miss him. I barely knew him and I miss him. It's  
so hard for me to play hero when I know, I KNOW he's the real hero. Not me.

I never liked being a hero. I always pretend to be all vain and soak up all the  
attention. Okay, I'll admit, I like the attention. I like the praise. It does  
wonder for my ego. But I always hated being a hero. Always. I pretended  
otherwise, but I never liked it. Why? I don't know. Probably because there  
are always other people, people who do much bigger better things than me and  
never get any notice. And not doctors and firemen who save lives. I mean  
people like teachers and just random people. People who give you that little  
bit of advice. That smile as you pass. That little bit of something that makes  
life seem worth living for at least one more day. People who save souls.  
People who do it with out even realizing it. The real heroes.

And I didn't even realize until he died. Until he was dead, a burned up crisp  
of ash falling down to the earth. Or maybe floating around in space. He made  
me realize just how much I hate being called a hero when all I do is save the  
world. Anyone can do it. Really! Try it some time. It's a lot easier than it  
looks. And Eggman looks tough and talks tough, but he isn't really. I'm not  
the only one who can take him out. Tails has taken him down. So has Knuckles.  
I'm not really needed. I just save the world so I have something to do on the  
weekends. It's practically a hobby now. It isn't even about the world anymore  
it's just about me seeing if I can take Eggman out this time or if he'll finally  
succeed in taking me down. Or that's just how it seems.

Maybe space twisted my perspective, twisted me. That's what Tails thinks it is.  
Maybe it's all just grief. That's what Amy thinks it is. Knuckles thinks I'm  
just being a pain in the ass just to be a pain in the ass. Everyone has some  
idea of why I'm so moody. Except for me. But I know one thing.

I hate being a hero. It means nothing.

Nada.

Zip.

Ziltch.

N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

Nothing.

And that really sucks.

Because maybe, just maybe, if it meant something, I wouldn't be so depressed.  
Maybe I wouldn't be pissing off all my friends. Maybe I wouldn't be thinking  
about killing the next person who looks at me. Maybe I'd be normal.

Or maybe not. Hard to say.

All I know is, I can't take this much longer. I can't take being called a hero.  
I can't take watching my friends sit around and talk about what's wrong with me.  
I can't take being awarded stupid medals that I can't even pawn off for some  
cash. I can't take waking up each morning wondering if I'll die today. I can't  
take wondering if it will be by Eggman's hand or my own. I can't take reliving  
his death every night in my dream. And I just can't take sitting around doing  
nothing and being someone while everyone else does something and is no one.

Maybe I should buy a gun. Or a pizza.

Damn, I wish I had some money.


	2. A Guardian's Duty

Chapter 2  
A Guardian's Duty  
By Formerly Known As

Author's Note: Wow....I wrote a second part to this...weird...Okay, anyway I wrote the second part to Hero. It doesn't follow the same format as the first...Oh, why am I writing this? It's not like I have a reason to put in an author's note. Well, there is a second part on the way...hopefully soon. And I'll shut up now and let you read my work.

*******************************

Sonic continued to walk down the street, still lost in his own thoughts. He  
managed to smile and say something witty to the few people who greeted him, but most  
people kept their distance. There was just something about the hedgehog's posture,  
something about the way he hunched his shoulders, something about his slumped slow  
pace. Something that told people to stay away. There was some strange light burning in  
his eyes, a dull light that cast more shadows than illuminated things. People could tell, he  
didn't want to be bothered. Sonic didn't even notice them.

He continued to trudge down the streets of Station Square, avoiding the ones that  
had too much foot traffic. To Sonic, too much foot traffic was even one person. So he  
wandered off down one street then another. He turned down countless side alleys, since  
most of them had less traffic than the main streets. It truly was a strange sight to see the  
blue hedgehog, who based his life on speed, walking aimlessly around. And there was  
something undeniably sad about the sight.

That was what Knuckles noticed, more than anything else, as he trailed his friend  
from above. Using a mixture of gliding and climbing, Knuckles found it exceedingly  
easy to follow the depressed hedgehog. After all Sonic wasn't going fast. In fact, the  
echidna realized, Sonic was basically going at a snail's pace. And not just a snail's pace  
for him. A snail's pace period. Little old ladies in walkers were going faster than Sonic.  
Something was definitely wrong.

Knuckles had known something wasn't right with Sonic since that whole incident  
on ARK. He had known something was wrong even before Sonic had come back from  
the battle with the Final Hazard. He hadn't known what was wrong, but he could tell,  
something was wearing away at his friend, eating him from the inside out. Even then he  
had his suspicions as to what was wrong. When the whole ARK incident had ended,  
Knuckles had come to the shocking realization as to the true nature of the problem.  
The problem was Shadow.

Knuckles hadn't really been involved in the whole affair. He'd helped keeping  
ARK from crashing into the earth and he'd helped them get the shuttle. But that was  
about it. The rest of the time he had spent casing around after the Master Emerald pieces.  
The echidna had just barely met Shadow before he'd died. Knuckles hadn't had any real  
interaction with the black hedgehog. He hadn't battled Shadow, or even really talked  
with him. Hell, Knuckles had only been in the same room as the hedgehog maybe once  
or twice. But still, Knuckles had noticed something when he had been around Shadow.

There was an energy to him, a power. And it wasn't just the power of chaos  
control. There was something deep and mysterious about him. Something that pulled  
you across great depths. Something that made you look the black hedgehog in the eye  
even when you knew you didn't want to. And his eyes, his deep, crimson eyes. Eyes  
deeper than eternity, yet hiding nothing.

It had shocked the echidna the way Shadow, so cool and emotionless on the  
outside had eyes that spoke so much. Eyes that spoke of everything that was going on  
inside. Eyes that spoke of all the hurt and anger and horrible things the hedgehog had  
been through. Eyes that never hid the grief that must have ravaged his soul.

Recently, Sonic had met Knuckles' eyes. Sonic had been telling him to go fuck  
off and find an idiot who wanted his attention. The echidna hadn't been surprised by the  
words. Sonic had always said things like that to Knuckles. Not when Tails or Amy was  
around. But when it was just the two of them, Sonic didn't mind letting his language  
grow a little more colorful. Neither did Knuckles. No, it wasn't Sonic's language that  
had left the echidna staring in shock. It was the look in Sonic's emerald eyes.

Sonic never hid what he was feeling. At least that's what most people thought.  
But the hedgehog was good at taking people by surprise. His actions seemed  
spontaneous and wild. He always seemed carefree and ready to make a wise crack at any  
second. But there was more going on than meets the eye when it came to Sonic. Always  
had been and always would be. He didn't hide his emotions, not at all. But sometimes  
he let one emotion mask another.

When Knuckles had looked into Sonic's eyes, they were bright and hot with rage  
and anger. Crackling with frustration. But Knuckles had seen beyond it all and seen,  
deep in Sonic's eyes, a grief. A sorrow and sadness, deep within his soul. A sorrow that  
all his anger and frustration couldn't hide. It was the same sorrow that Knuckles had  
seen lodged within Shadow's eyes.

It was then that Knuckles had made his choice. Knuckles had confronted Sonic  
that day because he had been planning return to Angel Island. Return to his duty. But  
after what he had seen in his friend's eyes, Knuckles realized that he had a duty here first.

Knuckles muttered a curse as Sonic turned down another small side street. He  
was wandering farther and farther away from the main drag. Getting into some  
dangerous neighbor hoods. It wasn't that Sonic couldn't take care of himself. Knuckles  
just didn't think it would be a good idea for Sonic to get in a fight right now. Not when  
he was so touchy. So ready and willing to fight. Knuckles glided silently after Sonic,  
trailing him through the city.

Amy and Tails had both agreed that Sonic needed space. To think. To grieve.  
To work his way through this thing alone. Well, Knuckles was giving Sonic the space he  
needed. He just made sure he knew what was happening in that space. Knuckles had his  
duty to his island. But he also had his duty to his friends.


	3. Things That Once Were

Chapter Three  
Things That Once Were  
  
Sonic let out a curse. Somewhere in the midst of his wanderings, Sonic   
had gotten himself completely lost. He let out another loud curse, kicking a   
nearby garbage can. From the look of things he guessed he was in a place known   
as the Dikes. It had once been the boom center of Station Square, the main work   
center of the area, a collection of factories that was the very heart of Station   
Square economics. But times had changed and slowly the boom center had decayed.   
Old factories closed down for newer, more high tech ones. Some factories closed   
down altogether as other factories became more efficient and Station Square   
began to import more goods. Slowly the entire factory area had been abandoned.   
Because of all the heavy machinery built into the factories, as well as the   
waste created by the factories when they were still operational, no one had   
bothered to tear the old boom center down. Instead it had remained to slowly   
decay away, a pitiful memorial to things that once were.  
  
Sonic sighed in frustration. This isn't where he wanted to be. Not that   
he knew where he wanted to be. But he didn't want to be here. Lost in a place   
full of dying memories. A place mourning something long past. It was too   
familiar. It felt too much like himself. Mourning things no longer even   
memories. He felt his sorrow and grief come crashing down on top of him. His   
pain, his anger, all of it came down on his head. He felt choked with emotions.   
Choked with old memories.  
  
"No," he whispered. He didn't want to cry. Not here. Not like this.   
Not in this dead place. It would be like crying in a grave yard. And Sonic   
knew it wouldn't be the soft, gentle tears that showed how much you missed   
someone. Tears that showed a gentle respect for things past. No, these would   
be like a child's tears. Loud, boisterous. Unstoppable. Rude and unending.   
They would be the wails like a child having a tantrum. He couldn't do that   
here. Not in this place of metal, that would catch his cries and send them   
crashing back down on him.  
  
Sonic began to panic. He couldn't cry here. But the emotions remained   
strong. And continued to grow stronger. The panic grew as well. He couldn't   
cry here. Not with all these ghosts. Not with all these memories. He needed   
somewhere peaceful. Somewhere that didn't feel so haunted. Sonic's panic   
mounted and broke over him, taking control. He started walking, then slowly   
sped up, getting faster and faster. He dashed down random alley ways, turning   
corners with out thought. He soon was running nearly full speed through the   
abandon streets of the Dikes.   
  
Above him, Knuckles cursed. So much for following Sonic being easy work.   
He had managed to keep up for a while, but soon lost the hedgehog in the twisted   
maze of streets. He glided along above the streets, following whatever faint   
trace of Sonic he could find. He had a bad feeling about tonight and he knew he   
had to find the grief stricken hedgehog as soon as he could.  
  
**************************  
  
Author's Note: Okay, I know this chapter is a little weird and Sonic may be a   
bit out of character here. But everyone acts a little out of character   
sometimes. And this chapter wasn't even what it was going to be. The next one   
will be a little more action filled, but this chapter just evolved on its own.   
They do that sometimes. And also, this chapter didn't get any editing…so I'll   
edit it one of these days and fix it up. Till then, this is the version you   
get! I'll try to have chapter three out soon. Peace out yo! 


	4. Calling To the Darkness

Hero  
By Formerly Known As

Chapter 4  
Calling to the Darkness

Sonic breathed deeply, inhaling the ancient scents of oil and rusted metal. He was still in the Dikes and even more lost than before. Night had also fallen. But right now he didn't care. He leaned against a wall, his eyes closed, breathing deeply. Fighting to keep the tears inside. He was winning, sort of.

Much to his surprise, running had helped Sonic. His panic had burned away quickly in the rush he got from running. The frustration burned away slower. The grief remained strong as ever. But it was cleaner now, not clouded by other emotions. Sonic was able to get a grip on the emotion now and he was slowly calming down.

He was almost capable of logic and coherent thought, so he headed out of the alley to look for a way out of the Dikes and to grounds he knew better. He began down one of the deserted streets looking for a fire escape or some way he could make it to the top of a building, figuring that from there he could the lights of the rest of Station Square.

Sonic's ear twitched. He thought he heard something. He turned around quickly, trying to find the sound. There was nothing on the street behind him. He scanned the dark street but saw nothing, which wasn't unusual, Sonic didn't have much in the way of night vision. He slowly turned back around and started on his way further down the street. He whipped around, hearing the noise again. A sort of whispery sound, sort of like the wind moving through the grass. There was still nothing behind him. His eyes narrowed. Sonic turned to face forward again. But this time he stood where he was, listening carefully.

There. There it was again. A soft swish, the sound of something moving. Only this time it was to his left. He listened. Sonic resisted the urge to tap his foot. There was the sound again. Closer this time. Sonic remained still. He heard it again, closer still. He frowned. It was an oddly familiar sound. There it was again. To his right.

Sonic spun around, facing the sound. This time he wasn't too slow. In the dim light present, Sonic saw a shape. A fast moving shape, darting back into the darker shadows. Sonic narrowed his eyes. There was someone else out there.

Sonic called out into the darkness. "Hello? Is there someone out there?" he called, hoping to receive a response of some sort.

Sonic held still listening to his echoes fade away. Silence was the only answer he received. Then came the soft swish, from behind him. Sonic spun towards the sound but spotted nothing. Whatever was out there it was fast.

Sonic tried again. "Hello? Don't worry, I won't hurt you. You can come out!"

Still no answer.

Then the soft sound came again, to his right, followed by a cracking sound, as something hit Sonic's head.

Sonic let out a loud curse, placing a hand above his eye. Whatever, or whoever was out there had just hit him. Sonic growled in frustration and pulled his hand away from above his eye. Even in the darkness of the alley, Sonic could see the blood staining his white gloves. Sonic snarled softly, anger keeping him from feeling his pain.

"Show yourself!" he shouted into the darkness.

Sonic braced himself, moving automatically without thought into his fighting stance. There was no noise in the dark alley except for his own angry breathing.

Sonic held still, listening intently. With each passing second he grew more and more frustrated and less and less patient. He became aware of every sound in the alley, from the gentle tapping of dripping water hitting an old pipe to the wind sliding over the old ruins of the Dikes. Sonic also became aware of his blood trickling slowly down the side his face from the wound inflicted by his faceless attacker. Finally he lost his temper.

"I know you're out there! Show yourself whoever you are!"

There was a faint rustle to Sonic's right, like wind passing through papers.

Sonic's eyes narrowed. He resisted the urge to turn in that direction. Instead he shouted again.

"Show yourself, you coward!" Sonic smirked suddenly. "Or are you scared?  
Are you too scared to even show yourself? Instead you're attacking me in the dark rather than have a real fight with this hedgehog? That's it, isn't it?" He stepped into his regular cocky pose, using one hand to slick back his quills. "I understand, of course," he said, grinning for his invisible audience. "This hedgehog is just way too much for anyone to take on. You just know you can't-Oof!"

From the shadows the unknown figure dashed out and with a well placed leg, sent Sonic sprawling.

"Hey!" shouted Sonic as he hauled himself back to his feet. He turned to see the figure run out of the alleyway and into the streets beyond. With a growl, Sonic crouched down, ducked his head down, and dashed into the street after the figure. Before he fully cleared the alleyway, the mysterious figure turned and ran off down the street.

Sonic turned in the direction his attacker had gone, blinking in confusion. He hadn't seen anybody that fast since...well himself. And Shadow. But Shadow was dead and...Sonic was himself so who...who was that?

The figure was standing in the shadows just beyond the dull yellow gleam of a street lamp. The figure crossed its arms and tapped its foot. Sonic's ears went back in rage. That...that THING was mocking him!

Sonic moved without thinking, before he even had time to think, heading down the street towards the figure. The figure turned and glanced casually over its shoulder at him, further enraging the hedgehog. Then it sped off, running down the empty, dank streets of the Dikes, with Sonic hot on its heels.

************************************************  
Author's Note: WHOO HOO!!!!!! I finally completed this chapter. Plot hole successfully filled, chapter fully written! Will edit someday (really I will!). Till then, enjoy what I've written so far!

See ya next chapter!...Whenever that will be...


	5. Out of Darkness

Hero  
By Formerly Known As

Chapter 5  
Out of Darkness…

With a screech, Sonic put on his brakes and skidded to a stop. He blinked and  
raised a hand above his head, temporarily blinded by the brilliant light above  
him. He let out a curse as his eyes slowly adjusted.

Sonic had chased the unknown thing far down, deeper into the Dikes. He'd chased  
the thing down alleys, up what once were bustling streets. Once or twice they'd  
gone up fire escapes and Sonic the chase had moved up onto roofs. If Sonic  
hadn't been lost before, he most definitely was now.

But that didn't really matter to the hedgehog. All that mattered was catching  
up to that thing and teaching it a thing or two in manners. Running hadn't  
burned off Sonic's anger, though it had cooled him down enough to think  
logically.

Unfortunately, Sonic had now lost the figure. The entire chase had been run  
through dark and dimly lit streets. But one street, the one Sonic was currently  
on, was brilliantly lit. When Sonic came dashing around the corner after the  
figure, his eyes, accustomed to the gloomy streets, had been blinded. Out of  
instinct, Sonic had stopped, to avoid hitting something he couldn't see. By  
doing so, Sonic had also lost the figure.

Sonic closed his eyes against the bright light and stood still. He had been  
close behind the figure, so it couldn't have gone far. He listened intently for  
some sound, some sound of running feet or attack or even that weird whooshing  
sound he'd heard earlier.

There was silence. Nothing but silence…

Wait! There, to Sonic's right, just a bit ahead of him. A sound. Not one  
Sonic expected. It sounded like…Metal. Metal banging against metal. Sonic  
opened his eyes and looked to his right. He saw and old rusted metal door in  
the side of an old factory that had been there since before the area was called  
the Dikes. The door was open just a crack and the sound Sonic had heard was the  
sound of the door banging against the doorframe. Sonic smiled. So that's where  
the figure had gone.

With a grin, Sonic slipped into the factory as quietly as possible. He  
carefully let the door shut behind him to keep it from making the very sound  
that had tipped him off as to where the figure had gone. He peered around the  
factory, unable to see anything in the gloomy interior, particularly after that  
brilliant light outside.

Feeling secure that the door wouldn't make any sound to give him away, Sonic  
took a careful step away from the door. His eyes were beginning to adjust to  
the darkness and he could just make out grim shapes on the factory floor.

Then the lights came back on, blinding Sonic for the second time that night. He  
cursed loudly, holding up his arm and squinting around. His eyes traveled  
upward, towards the light source. Sonic gasped.

On a catwalk across the factory, the figure stood, illuminated by a light  
directly above its head, like a spotlight.

"Wha—No!" shouted Sonic, stumbling backwards as he recognized the figure.

It, no, he stood casually, arms folded, head tilted back slightly, not at all  
bothered by the brilliant lights around him. But that had always been his way.  
He had never let anything bother him, thought Sonic, who was still in shock.  
Nothing had bothered him, not Sonic, not Eggman, not destroying the world, not  
falling through the atmosphere…

The light flowed off his gently curved quills, highlighting the red on them and  
making his black fur appear luminous. He smirked slightly at the shocked blue  
hedgehog below him.

"It's good to see you too, Faker."

**********  
Author's Note: Oooooooh! Who saw that one coming? Put those hands down! It  
was suppose to be a surprise!

Well, I finally completed another chapter! Do that happy dance everyone, things  
should get more exciting after this. Or not. You never can tell exactly where  
you're going till you get there! Big, big thanks to everyone who reviewed, it  
means oodles to me! Oodles…what a weird word. Uh, right, anyway!

I have a few comments I've got to make.

To Neil Lafrenais: Thanks for the honesty. An honest bad review can mean as  
much as a good review sometimes. Sort of lets you know that everyone who's  
giving you good review aren't just doing it to be kind. Okay, so that sounds  
pretty weird. What can I say, I'm paranoid. But this biggest thanks to Neil is  
that thanks for telling me WHY you didn't like the story. That means I can  
figure out what I'm doing right and what needs some serious help. So, tell me  
the truth, if you don't like something tell me…but also tell me why or else I  
get insulted. Anyway!

To the anonymous person who sent Mr. T to attack me: This is NOT a Sonic  
bashing fic. I'm a big, MASSIVE Sonic fan. This isn't Sonic bashing…Other than  
the occasional literal bashing of Sonic. But that happens in almost every fic  
I've read, so it's okay!

And finally!

To SonicFan#1: Cool idea! I like it! Unfortunately, I've got reasons for  
Shadow being in this fic. But I like the idea of Sonadow, she sounds pretty  
sweet. Maybe you should right your own story, with Sonadow. But…I do like that  
character so perhaps, if you give me permission, I'll write about her in a  
different story. Well, to tell you the truth, maybe you should just send me an  
email.

That's my email address, send me an email sometime. Actually, anyone can email  
me if you want! I like hearing from people. Just make it very, very clear  
you're a friend and want to talk…I get so much junk mail it isn't funny….

So, there you go…I think I'm done for now. STOP THAT CLAPPING! I'll be back  
with another chapter. Whether you want me back or not….

Tata! See ya next chapter!


	6. Into Darkness

Hero  
By Formerly Known As

Chapter 6  
…Into Darkness

"Shadow!" cried Sonic, his confusion increasing. He took a step towards the  
black hedgehog. "You're…I thought you were…how did you…what are you…" Sonic  
trailed off, realizing how stupid he sounded. "We thought you were dead," he  
finally whispered.

Shadow leapt off the cat walk and fell towards the ground. At the last second,  
he activated his air shoes and slowed his descent, landing smoothly. "The  
evidence would seem to point to the opposite, hedgehog," replied Shadow, walking  
towards Sonic.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," said the blue hedgehog, looking away in confusion and  
embarrassment. Shadow continued walking until they were face to face with each  
other. Sonic looked back up at him slowly. He seemed frozen in indecision,  
trying to figure out what he wanted to say. "How…How did you survive?"

Shadow continued to smirk his unreadable smirk. "That is not important, Sonic."

Sonic gave Shadow a look that said 'yeah right.' Shadow remained silent. Sonic  
moved onto the next question. "What are you doing out here, Shadow?" Sonic  
asked, waving around vaguely to imply everything from the factory to the Dikes  
to Station Square itself.

"Oh," answered Shadow, "I have a few things I need to do here. But first I  
needed to talk to you, faker."

Sonic was taken aback. From the look in Shadow's eyes, Sonic wasn't sure  
whether he ought to be flattered or scared. The tone of Shadow's voice seemed  
to imply the need to be scared. "Me? You needed to talk to me?" Some of  
Sonic's cockiness returned. "Well, of course I'm sure you wanted to talk to me!  
Everyone wants to talk to the fastest thing—"

"I need to make you an offer, hedgehog," Shadow interrupted Sonic's bragging.

Sonic paused, absorbing this. He looked at Shadow. He looked at Shadow the  
Hedgehog, enemy, adversary, rival…friend? Sonic looked at the guy he had  
thought dead for so long. He looked at the hedgehog that was so like him and  
yet so different.

All factors considered equal, Sonic was confused. He didn't know what to think.  
Before Sonic stood the only other person who had truly stood, in Sonic's eyes,  
as his equal. While Sonic respected Knuckles's fighting abilities, as well as  
his keen intelligence and hot temper, Knuckles stood in an entirely different  
league from Sonic. Sonic was a runner. Knuckles was a fighter. They just  
stood on different grounds. That and Knuckles wasn't even close to being able  
to catch up with Sonic.

Tails was a slightly different story. He was fast, nearly as fast as Sonic.  
But his true strengths lay in different areas. Tails was fast. But he was also  
unrealistically intelligent. And he could fly. In Sonic's mind, Tails also  
fell into a different category. Also it was difficult for Sonic to fully  
separate the older, stronger Tails from the little fox who had followed Sonic  
all those years ago.

Shadow, on the other hand, was equal to Sonic in every respect. They were  
equally fast (though Sonic only admitted the fact in his head). Any move Sonic  
could pull off, Shadow was equally strong in. Shadow could even go Hyper,  
staying once again equal to Sonic in every respect.

When Shadow had died, Sonic had been both relieved and saddened. The sadness  
outweighed the grief, but the relief had remained none the less. Sonic had  
never before found a true equal to himself. In Shadow, Sonic had seen both a  
potential companion and rival. During the entire ARK incident, Sonic had feared  
that Shadow was better than him, stronger than him, faster than him. When he  
had seen Shadow's Chaos Control, Sonic's fear had risen. That fear faded  
somewhat when Sonic realized that he too was capable of Chaos Control.

But it wasn't until Shadow had showed up, deep down inside the ship, with his  
confident air, and told Sonic and Knuckles that he would take the Biolizard,  
that Sonic's fear began to change into hope. Because in that moment, Sonic  
realized that Shadow didn't have to be his enemy. Shadow was helping them.  
They could be friends.

Sonic realized that the two of them, no matter what, would always be rivals.  
But Sonic would rather be friendly rivals than enemies with the black hedgehog.  
When Sonic watched Shadow plunge helplessly towards the earth, he had been grief  
stricken by the loss of a potential friend. He had been relieved at the loss of  
a potential enemy.

But now Shadow once again stood before Sonic, all smirks and darkness. It was a  
like nothing had changed. Well, almost nothing. Before the finale of the ARK  
incident, the two would have been ruthlessly attacking one another. Now they  
stood before each other, talking and not attacking or even threatening each  
other. At least, Sonic didn't think he was being threatened. There were times  
it was hard to tell with Shadow.

The bottom line was that Sonic didn't know how to react to the situation. He  
didn't actually know where Shadow stood right now. He hoped it was friend, but  
the two had been foes for so long it was hard not to consider the possibility  
that Shadow was merely stalling for time till Robotnik showed up. After all,  
Shadow had attacked him in that alleyway. That damn smirk on Shadow's face  
wasn't helping any, either.

Enough stalling, Sonic thought to himself. He looked at Shadow, to find the  
other hedgehog was lightly tapping his foot, once again mocking Sonic. Sonic  
gritted his teeth. It was time to discover just what was going on. "What sort  
of offer?" Sonic asked suspiciously.

Shadow smirked a little bit more. "A simple offer really." Shadow unfolded his  
arms and walked away from Sonic, drawing out the tension. Sonic glared at the  
other hedgehog's back. Who was stalling now? Shadow jumped up onto an old  
piece of machinery left from the boom time of the factory. Shadow faced Sonic  
and began speaking again. "I'm offering you, Sonic the Hedgehog, the chance to  
join me in a rein of darkness and terror." He smiled. "Together we can spread  
chaos like no one before us could ever perceive."

************************  
Author's Note: MUHAHAHAHAHAH!! I seem to be getting this whole cliffhanger  
thing down…  
Well, I'm not too sure on this chapter. Just not sure it's quite right…Needs  
work, I think. Not only that, but the silly thing got me up early because it  
was one of those lose the sleep or lose the story situations. I once again went  
for the story…

Some comments to make…First of all, I must thank Stoney for the awesome review.  
ALL HAIL STONEY, THE GOD OF GIVING CHARACTERS PERSONALITIES!  
Err…Sorry about that. But I for one am very impressed with all of Stoney's  
work. Particularly his Crossover Saga. Why? Because every character has  
personality. And not just the heroes. The bad guys have just as much  
personality. So, if you're looking for something to read, check out Crossover  
Saga. It's one of my favorites.

To Master Link: Err…sorry about the lack of action. There might be some  
later…Then again there might not. Maybe I should change the genre I have this  
thing under…I'll think about it.

To SonicFan#1: Glad to hear you're writing! Writing is such a good thing…To  
post chapters on FF. Net, you must first register. Don't worry, it's not all  
that hard. Then after you've registered, it'll take you to a page with some  
information on it. On the left side of that page, there is a blue box with all  
these links. One of them is labeled Read Me First. Take the link and it should  
tell you everything you need to know about creating stories, adding chapters,  
and so forth. If you still have questions…I'll attempt to answer them! Good  
luck! I look forward to reading something you've written real soon!

Oh and YAY! YOU LIKE MY STORIES!!!! WHOOHOO!

Okay, I'm done now….Peace out yo and see ya next chapter!


	7. Revelations

Hero  
By Formerly Known As

Chapter 7  
Revelations

Author's first note: Just in time for the holiday season, an extra long chapter.

"What?!" cried Sonic.

Shadow's smile slowly grew bigger. "I didn't stutter, faker. You heard me perfectly. I'm offering you the chance to join me."

"Join you? Join you doing what?"

"I always thought you were stupid, Faker, but now I know it. Didn't I just say that?"

Sonic blinked in confusion. "I heard something about destruction and darkness and chaos."

"You heard right."

Sonic opened his mouth and struggled for a witty reply. Not finding any of those, he struggled for a reply of any kind. Finally, he gave up and stated the obvious. "I'm confused."

"I noticed," answered Shadow.

This statement did little to help Sonic. Struggling to make sense of the situation, Sonic stated what he knew. "I...I thought you died falling from ARK...But you're not dead."

"Truly, you have a talent for stating the obvious."

"We...saved the world together. And now you want to...destroy it again?"

Shadow laughed slowly. "I said nothing about destroying the world."

Sonic blinked and then shook his head. "Wait a minute here. You're talking about death and chaos and destruction, but not destroying the world? This isn't making any sense."

Shadow seemed to be really enjoying watching Sonic squirm in confusion. He considered continuing this for a while, just to see how confused he could make the poor hedgehog, but decided things would go a lot smoother in the long run if he just explained everything now. Besides, confusing Sonic was proving to be too easy a game.

"I have no intent of harming the world. I wish to help the world."

"By destruction and chaos?"

"Exactly."

"I think I'm missing something here."

"Obviously."

"Hey, it's not like you're doing a good job explaining anything!"

"Well, I'd do a better job if you would BE QUIET!"

Sonic bristled at the tone in Shadow's voice, but remained silent. Shadow paused, trying to recompose his calm, smooth exterior. After a bit he succeeded. "I have plans, Sonic. Great plans. Together I know they will go perfectly. So I now offer you the chance to join me. Together the things we could accomplish..." Shadow's face suddenly darkened. His dark, piercing gaze met Sonic's confused one. "But I will not let anything stop me, Hedgehog. I will succeed. With or with out you at my side. Even if I have to go through you, Sonic, I will succeed."

Sonic remained silent, intently watching the changes that came over Shadow.  
From dark and piercing Shadow was once again changing. He became down cast, a sorrowful look filled his eyes as he looked away from Sonic.

"This world, Sonic," said Shadow, his voice barely above a whisper. Sonic struggled to hear it above the faint buzzing of the lights overhead. "This world, hedgehog...It's beautiful. Glorious. In...incredible." Shadow looked up slowly, his eyes filled with piercing emotion. "You have no idea, hedgehog, what this world looks like to me. How, how magnificent. There just aren't words to describe how this world seems to me, Faker."

Sonic looked into Shadow's eyes, so filled with emotion they seemed multi-faceted. Sonic knew little about Shadow's past, but he did know that Shadow had spent most of his life on a cold, sterile space station, the ARK. He had never been to earth before the day G.U.N. dragged him into their facility. At G.U.N., Shadow had been locked away, cryogenically frozen. When finally freed by Eggman, Shadow had been bent on destruction of those he hated, not even seeing the world around him. And now...now Shadow had nothing binding him. He felt no more need for revenge. G.U.N. still thought Shadow was dead so had no need to chase after the black hedgehog. Everyone else either didn't know of his existence, thought he was dead, or just didn't care one way or another. In those deep, almost endless red eyes, Sonic began to get an idea of what it must be like to see the world for the first time.

"If you find the world so beautiful, why do want to hurt it?" asked Sonic tentatively.

"I have no intention of hurting this world. Not at all. Would you destroy a beautiful gem, a soaring eagle, a fragile flower? Of course you wouldn't. No more than I would harm this world."

Sonic idly wondered just what had happened when Shadow fell from ARK. Sonic wondered how long Shadow had been wandering the world. How much he had seen.  
What he had seen. He also wondered what the hell Shadow was planning.

Taking a wild guess, Sonic spoke slowly, testing his guess. "So...you've become an environmentalist?"

Shadow shrugged. "Perhaps you could say that."

"So...you're planning on destroying the human civilizations so that everything returns to nature?"

Shadow gave Sonic a scathingly look. "Don't be any more of an imbecile than you already are, Faker. That's the stupidest plan I've EVER heard. And was stuck with Robotnik for a while so I've heard quite a few."

Sonic blushed, rubbing his neck. It had seemed like a guess plan before he'd actually said it.

"Then what are you planning?" asked Sonic, his old frustration resurfacing.

Shadow smiled. "I will make this world a better place."

Sonic gave Shadow a half doubtful, half sarcastic look. "Through destruction and chaos?"

"Exactly."

Sonic's mouth dropped open as he tried to vocalize the complete profound  
stupidness of this train of thought. "Huh? Shadow that's beyond the way past stupidest thing I've ever heard." He didn't succeed.

Shadow merely raised an eyebrow, giving Sonic the signal to continue talking.

Sonic tried again. "Destruction, chaos, things like that don't make the world any better, Shadow. They just make it worse, darker." Sonic paused, searching for words. "The only way to make things better is by hard work, trying, believing. You just can't make the world better through destruction and chaos. Because they only spread darkness."

Shadow smiled a patronizing smile. "But I will make the world a better place.  
With destruction and chaos I'll make so much darkness that people will have to notice the light," Shadow was silent for a moment, as was Sonic as he struggled to make sense of what Shadow had just said. "You don't see things the same way I do, hedgehog. You have been here all your life, fighting against the darkness, fighting the shadows. But I...I am like the observer looking in. I can see how much those pathetic people out there truly have. You have so much here, yet you don't realize it. There is so much beauty, so much wonder. You have this whole beautiful world. And yet you can't see any of it. You're blind to the beauty that surrounds you. You've lived in light so long you can't see that there are worse things out there." He looked up. "So I shall make people realize how beautiful things are by bringing the horrible things to them. I will make them realize how incredible their lives are by making them see how much worse they could be. I will make today look so much brighter, by making tomorrow so much darker. They will realize, in the end." There was a determined gleam in Shadow's eyes. A look that would have scared most people. But Sonic the Hedgehog isn't most people.

Sonic folded his arms and put on his cockiest expression. "And you called my plan stupid."

Shadow took a deep breath and barely stopped himself from attacking Sonic right there and then. He struggled a good deal longer to hold his tongue and keep his cool. Years of experience in remaining cool and cold at times paid off and Shadow started speaking again, his voice betraying no hint of emotion.

"We are not here to talk about the merit of my plan, hedgehog. This isn't about what I have chosen." Shadow looked up and smiled at the blue hedgehog. "This is about the choice you will make. You can stand with me, help me in my journey through darkness. Or you can continue to play hero and stand against me."

Sonic's mouth flew open to return with a witty retort. But the fiery words fell into ash in his mouth and nothing moved past his lips. Memories and old thoughts came flying back into his head at the word hero. Memories of all his battles and the pains, both emotional and physical he had suffered. Thoughts of all the things Sonic couldn't have, all the sacrifices he had to make to become what he was. Thoughts of everything Sonic had to lose to become the hero he was. And memories of Shadow, falling away from him, taking the ultimate sacrifice of a hero. The realization that some day he too may be forced to make that same sacrifice.

"Well, Sonic?" taunted Shadow. "What will you choose? A path of darkness with me, or the same old walk of hero through the blinding light?"

Blinding light. That sounded about right to Sonic. Blinding light. It's all you ever got as a hero. You always walked in the light, always had to be ten times happier than everyone else, ten times braver. There never was a chance to descend into the darkness of your own soul, to wallow in your own grief or pity. Actually, now that he thought about it, there never was any time for anything as a hero. No time to hang with your friends. No time to search for a real romance, not just some flunky wanting a hero. No time to revel in the very sweetness of life that Shadow was talking about.

Silence had descended on the old factory, as Sonic stood, head bowed, deep in thought. Shadow had watched as Sonic's hands closed tightly into fists. He had stood braced for an attack, a yelling fit, or even the cocky retort he knew would be coming from the other hedgehog. All he got in response was silence.

Now that Sonic thought about it, he realized that beiing a hero hadn't ever really given him anything. At least nothing he wanted. The only thing he'd ever really received was pain. Lots and lots of pain. The pains of being kicked, punched, hit with lasers, and just generally pummeled. The pains of fighting battle after battle, no time to rest, no break in between, no time to even catch his breath. The pains of loneliness as he had spent another worthless night alone at home because he was too tired from the last battle or too tired from the endless publicity. Now that Sonic thought about it, he realized that he had never been on a regular date with a girl. He'd never spent a regular night hanging out with the guys and playing pool or something equally stupid. Sonic didn't have many friends and all the friends he had he had made during one fight or another.

Being a hero had given Sonic nothing but pain.

Shadow watched Sonic with decreasing alarm and increasing curiosity. Sonic hadn't thrown his offer back in his face yet. Fascinated and curious, Shadow walked over to Sonic. "What are you thinking, hedgehog?" asked Shadow, as he forced Sonic's head up to look him in the eyes.

With slight reluctance, Sonic met Shadow's eyes. Only the greatest self-control kept Shadow from gasping out loud when he saw the tears just barely kept from spilling over and flowing down Sonic's face. The greatest of revelations was not in the tears, but the emotions in the eyes. Immediately present in Sonic's eyes was a strong and burning anger, fueled by countless frustrations with life. But looking beyond the anger and frustration, Shadow saw nothing but sorrow and loneliness. These two emotions were stronger, though masked by others shown through clear. Shadow didn't know much about people or emotions having spent most of his life on cold, sterile ARK. But he could clearly see the anguish deep in Sonic's soul.

It startled and scared Shadow the amount of emotion he saw. It scared him more when he felt similar emotions surge within himself, echoing the losses seen in those emerald eyes. He felt nearly petrified when he felt sympathy for the blue one.

The mix of fear and sorrow and sympathy lasted for one single moment, until  
Sonic jerked his head away from Shadow, breaking eye contact. He was blushing, ashamed of his tears and what he felt. He was angry at Shadow for having seen his tears. He was also grateful for the sympathy, however faint it had been, that he had seen in the other hedgehog's eyes. Sonic's emotions rose and tangled up inside him, then slid away into the depths of his soul, leaving him nothing but confusion in their wake.

Shadow's eyes slid half shut as inside he struggled to keep his own emotions of confusion from showing.

In those eyes Shadow had see that there was much more to the blue hedgehog than first appeared. But then, thought Shadow, that always was his way. Shadow himself had mistaken Sonic for nothing but some idiot the job of hero. But Sonic had proven to be more, so much more.

The silence stretched out in the old factory once again, Sonic refusing to meet  
Shadow's eyes again, Shadow not even trying to see into his eyes, neither knowing what to think or what they were feeling.

Finally, Shadow became aware that it was growing late, or perhaps the better word was early, as it was now past midnight. While Shadow didn't mind staying up to all sorts of hours, he needed sleep. It had been a rather long week. Shadow figured that Sonic needed sleep as well. He glanced out the small windows near the ceiling of the factory, then back to Sonic, who was still refusing to even look at Shadow.

"I will you give you a chance to think my offer over, faker. Till then I bid you adieu," Shadow said, his voice filling the cool silence of the room. Sonic glanced at Shadow, only to see him turn and walk away.

Sonic reached out a hand, his insides in turmoil. "Wait, I-'' Sonic cried.

His cry came to late as Shadow suddenly vanished in a flash of green light.

Sonic's ears went back and his body tensed. "A chaos emerald?" he said to himself. "How in the world..." Sonic snapped his fingers in sudden realization. "Of course! We never did find the last emerald. Shadow must have had it the whole time. Why didn't I think of that before?"

Muttering to himself about what an idiot he could be, Sonic headed for the factory door. He knew that Shadow was long gone. He also knew that this was not the last he had seen of the black hedgehog.

Sonic spotted a light switch on the wall next to the door. He casually flicked it off as he headed out the door. Behind him the factory door banged shut, sending its echoing boom through the current darkness of the factory.

Sonic walked off slowly, needing time to think of everything Shadow had said.  
What he meant. The simple fact that he was still alive.

In the darkness of the factory, Shadow listened carefully as to the hedgehog's footsteps fading off into the empty streets of the Dikes. He smiled in contentment.

Everything hadn't gone quite as he planned. But it just may be, that things were going better than he thought they ever could.

*************  
Author's second note: Whoo! That was a looooong chapter. Consider this to be my Christmas present (or my whatever present depending on what it is you celebrate) to all you guys out there. Happy holiday season, whatever holiday that may be.

Next chapter may take a while as I'm getting a Gamecube and Sonic Mega Collection for Christmas. Then again, maybe the game will encourage more chapters. I make no promises when it comes to writing because honestly, you just can never tell.

This is one chapter that was particularly hard for me to write. This is the one that had countless gaping plot holes in it that needed to be filled. This is the one, that if you're only going to review once, that I'd like you to review. I really want to know if I pulled the whole thing off. So let me know, one way or another. Thank you!

Notes to my reviewers:

First off, SonicFan#1: On how to register at .  
Look towards the top of the screen. See the blue bar up there just below the add and logo? See the last word just before the little pull down box? It says register. Click on that. It should give you the steps on how to register at . If it doesn't, there's a help page running around somewhere. Good luck!

To fiona_da_fox: I knew that Sonadow is the name of the Sonic/Shadow romance. I also think it would be a fine name for a character. What can I say, I go for ideas on any end of the spectrum.

Big important note I think I need to make:  
THIS IS NOT A SONIC/SHADOW ROMANCE! REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A SHADOW/SONIC ROMANCE!  
I have nothing against those. I've written one, for goodness sake. The facts are, though, that this isn't one. Thought I might want to clear that fact up now, so there isn't any confusion or people hoping for something they won't get. Hope I've made myself clear.

REPEAT ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A SONIC/SHADOW ROMANCE!

Okay, I'm done with that then. I swear, my author's notes are getting longer than the story...

Well, Merry Christmas, and thank you for all the reviews. They give me strength and keep me from sulking.

Peace out yo!


	8. Slight Changes

Hero  
By Formerly Known As

Chapter 8  
Slight Changes

Author's Note: Sorry about the shortness of the chapter...

It was two past midnight by the time Knuckles caught up with Sonic. He'd been frantically searching for the hedgehog ever since Sonic had taken off at the Dikes with no luck. Several times Knuckles thought he had come close, spotting a trail of up thrown debris caused by Sonic's swift passing, but the hedgehog had already been long gone by the time Knuckles had made his way along the dizzying maze of rooftops to the spot he'd seen the hedgehog's passing. Knuckles had very nearly given up on ever finding Sonic again, when he had finally spotted him exiting the Dikes into friendlier territory.

Now the echidna once again trailed along the rooftops, following his blue friend.

Watching Sonic make his way down the now mostly deserted streets, Knuckles could see a change had come over Sonic. Sonic still paced the streets at an impossibly slow, but now...

Sonic seemed more thoughtful. He didn't look ready to kill the first person to cross his path. His slow pace wasn't due to anxiety and grief weighing on the hedgehog's soul. Sonic had something on his mind and it wasn't eating him alive from the inside out.

Knuckles didn't know what had changed, but he honestly wasn't sure he liked the change. Something was different. Sonic was no longer wallowing in a pit of self pity and despair. That should have been a good thing.

But Sonic wasn't one to be thoughtful. He liked action. He liked speed. He wasn't acting himself, but why, Knuckles couldn't tell. But it was important. It took a lot to move the hedgehog into such deep thought. Something ground moving and life shattering. Something important.

Knuckles sat perched on the edge of a building, watching the hedgehog slowly vanish down the street. Knuckles contemplated what could have changed, deep in thought himself.

A sudden kick to the head ended his thought quickly, as the guarding toppled forwards, towards the street below. Only some quick twisting and the spikes on his hands saved Knuckles from a plummet to the ground. As Knuckles clung to the building, trying to keep himself from losing his grip and trying to stop his head from spinning, a pair of hands reached down and hauled the echidna to the roof. A quick punch to the gut doubled Knuckles over and another kick sent him sprawling across the rooftop.

For a time Knuckles lay there, content to try and catch his breath and once again keep the world from spinning. His attempts were cut off, when he was shoved onto his back and a foot was placed on his throat, making breathing even more of a task than before.

Knuckles looked at the shoe on his throat in shame. Never before had anyone thrashed the echidna so thoroughly and in such a short time. Hey, wait a minute, thought Knuckles. That shoe looked familiar. In fact it looked really familiar. Reminded him of the kind Sonic and Tails wore. Only the coloring was all off. And these were more angular.

Slowly, Knuckles the Echidna looked upwards from the shoes and into the merciless red eyes of Shadow the Hedgehog.

***********  
Author's Note....Again: That was really fun to write. Can't say why but it really was! I won't promise when the next chapter will be coming out because there's no way to tell with me. I sat down at ten tonight and the chapter just sort of came. Writing is unpredictable like that.

Ooh goody! Now it's time to answer fan mail! My goodness...I HAVE FAN MAIL!  
THIS IS SWEET!

Sometimes life can be quite sweet.

But to the fan mail!

From Hackage (Cool name by the way):

"This was beautiful. I wish it was a shadow/sonic romance fic, though... Keep writing! IF YOU DON'T I WILL PUNISH YOU!!!"

Uh oh....The fans are getting violent! Must run for shelter! Or write a new chapter...yeah, I guess that works too...

I know I disappointed a lot of people back there when I told them this fic isn't a Shadow/Sonic romance. But the truth is...that it isn't. There is no romance between Sonic and Shadow. At least not here. I figured I might as well keep people from getting their hopes up for something I wasn't going to deliver.

To SonicFan#1:

Don't worry, it doesn't cost a thing. I don't know much about the privacy thing, but I think it's pretty safe. As for the whole issue with parents...Yeah, I know all about that. My parents are paranoid about technology. Sigh....

Oh, and if you (Or anyone else for that matter!) sends me an email (and I LOVE getting email from people other than those trying to sell me Viagra...) make sure you mark it very clearly so I know it isn't junk mail and don't delete it by mistake.

Here's my email address again, just in case you don't know it.

Finally MiKoMiTeNsHi:

Thanks for the comment. Just...Thanks.

And to everyone else who sent me in comments...Thank you. It means the world to me. Gives me strength and lets me know I'm doing SOMETHING right. So thank you.

Hmmm....You know, I feel a little cheap adding all of my comments to my fans at the end of my chapters. But then again, I don't know where else I'd put it...

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you don't like my habit of adding commentary to the end of my chapters, you don't have to read it.

Yeesh! The commentary is longer than the story! I think it's time for me to shut up and go to bed!

Peace out yo!


	9. What We Have

Hero  
By Formerly Known As  
  
Author's Note: Yeah...I changed my name. Still the same old M. E. Gibbs (Or whatever name you first knew me by), just with a bright shiny and hopefully not stupid name. Hope this doesn't confuse anybody...but it felt necessary. To me.   
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic, Shadow, or anyone. I DO own the Dikes, I have realized in retrospection. I also own this story. Stealers will be towed. Or prosecuted by the demons of hell. Or my lawyers. Yeah, either one will do.  
  
************  
Chapter 9  
What We Have  
  
Staring up into Shadow's fathomless red eyes, many thoughts flitted through his head. One was the shocked realization that Shadow was alive, not dead as previously assumed.   
  
Following shortly behind that thought was the realization that discovering someone you thought to be dead was really alive and, in the case of Shadow, literally kicking, was certainly enough to change anyone's state of mind and probably was what caused the change over Sonic. At least that was Knuckles assumed. Of course there did remain the probability, Knuckles contemplated, that Sonic did not yet know of Shadow's current liveliness instead of Shadow's supposed...deadness.  
  
Along with this complicated and confusing train of thought Knuckles questioned how Shadow was still alive and perhaps more importantly (or perhaps not, asphyxiation can confuse one's priorities) why Shadow was trying to kill him.  
  
Of course overlaying all of this was the thought of "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, I'm GONNA DIE!"  
  
Shadow stared down at the echidna, watching emotions play through the   
guardian's eyes. To his credit, though Knuckles was probably developing a concussion or at least major headache and was struggling at the same time to move air past the shoe on his throat, Knuckles let no emotion show on his face. No shock, no fear. His face remained blank. His eyes were a different story, but eyes are a lot harder to control.  
  
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Shadow eased up the amount of weight he had resting on the guardian's neck. Knuckles literally breathed easier.   
  
"So, red one," Shadow began slowly, his dark voice soft and menacing. "You've been following the hedgehog."  
  
Shadow glanced behind him and down to the street, where Sonic was slowly vanishing around the corner.  
  
Maybe it was because Sonic was on his mind. Maybe it was because of the recent changes in his life. Maybe it was even the asphyxiation. Whatever caused it, Knuckles said something he probably wouldn't have said otherwise.  
  
"Are you implying that I'm stalking you?"  
  
Shadow's dark gaze snapped back to the echidna instantly as he pressed down rather heavily on the guardian's throat.  
  
In retrospective, thought Knuckles to himself as he gagged for air, that wasn't the brightest thing to have done. The mental chorus of 'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit' increased.   
  
Leisurely, Shadow once again let up off the guardian's throat. Knuckles gasped for air.   
  
After a short time, during which Shadow's eyes had not left the guardian, Knuckles was able to breathe. Shadow's eyes flitted out across the city, taking everything in through half closed lids. "I can see what you're trying to do," he began again, his rich voice flowing to Knuckles across the distance, above the noises of the city, past Knuckles' panting gasps. "You have noble intent, trying to protect the hedgehog like that. Noble but foolish." The ghost of a smile and a sour smirk flickered across Shadow's face. "Did you truly think you could keep up with? Protect him? Keep him from harm?"  
  
Shadow grimaced slightly. "You don't have what it takes to keep up with that hedgehog. You don't have the speed, the strength, the spirit. You're not even close!"  
  
Knuckles eyes flashed with indignation. "What, and you think you do, Shadow the Hedgehog?" Knuckles spat at the black creature hovering over him.  
  
The foot shot down sharply, causing the guardian to choke on any other words he might have said. Then, just as suddenly, the foot lifted off completely as Shadow turned away, staring out across the city, his back to Knuckles.  
  
Still struggling for breath, the echidna halfway sat up and massaged his sore throat with one hand, his eyes never leaving Shadow's back.  
  
"No, you're right. I probably don't have what it takes to keep up with him anymore than you do, red one."  
  
Knuckles blinked in surprise. Not what he had expected the proud hedgehog to say. Not at all. The night was just full of surprises.  
  
"That hedgehog is a surprise wrapped in an epiphany hidden in a revelation. It seems that just when you think you have him figured out, he'll take you by surprise."  
  
Too true, Knuckles thought to himself.  
  
"He'll take you on and beat you at your own game. He's fast, but more importantly, he's determined. He'll will show you what true strength...then let you see that you have it as well, deep inside, in that crevice of yourself you never thought you'd find."  
  
Though Knuckles couldn't see Shadow's face, he could hear a heaviness in his voice. He found it strange, comical almost, that inside himself, Knuckles could feel that same heaviness. That heaviness he felt deep inside, that heaviness left behind when Sonic wasn't around anymore to be the hero, to be strong. And to give others strength.   
  
It was funny. Almost.   
  
Shadow turned back to Knuckles, his foot flying up and kicking the echidna in the chest, laying Knuckles flat out on his back again. Once again, Knuckles found himself staring up into the crimson eyes of Shadow. Only this time, Knuckles could see a strange, half wild glint sparkling in Shadow's eyes.   
  
"That wasn't what I came to discuss with you, red one. You are to leave the hedgehog alone. He is mine. You will not touch him. You will not follow him. If you do..." Shadow's vague threat was punctuated by a swift upward kick that connected with Knuckles' chin, sending the guardian's head reeling once again.  
  
When the echidna opened his eyes and was able to see straight again, he could see no sign of the black hedgehog anywhere, nor any sign that he had ever been there. Other than Knuckles' smarting chin and tenderized throat.  
  
With a grunt of pain and annoyance, Knuckles rolled over onto his stomach.   
Carefully, intently, he searched the dark night for any slight movement or sign of where Shadow had gone. He found nothing, which was all he'd expected to find. Instead, Knuckles turned his attention to the street, but of course, Sonic, even at his slow pace, was already long gone.   
  
With a sigh of frustration directed at the world in general and two hedgehogs in specific, Knuckles took his leave of the rooftop. There was no need to tarry any later into the night, when the guardian knew he would have no luck finding either hedgehog. As he left the darkened rooftop, Knuckles rolled over in his head what Shadow had said. The implications of the black hedgehog's words worried Knuckles. Particularly that part about Sonic being his.  
  
In the sheltering gloom of a nearby chimney, Shadow watched as Knuckles glided off into the city, the opposite direction from the one Sonic had taken. Shadow allowed himself a fleeting smirk at this. Things were going well. Differently. But well.   
  
The smirk vanished like it had never been as Shadow made his way across the rooftops of the city, heading a third direction, towards the business district of town. The red one could present a problem later on. He would have to be watched. But for now, Shadow decided to wait and see how his hand would play out.  
**************  
Author's Note (Again): Well...That was interesting...  
In oh so many ways.  
  
A sad announcement to make. I may not post on this story again for a while. This was as far as I've got it written in my head. From here on out...I have nothing but vague ideas and the plot I've already set up to guide me. I'm surprised it turned out as long as it did, actually.  
  
I want to keep this story really good. And to do that, I may take a while to continue it.  
  
But don't worry, don't be blue, I'm not quitting this story or anything like that.  
  
Just letting you know the next chapter may take time. But this story will NOT die here. Trust me on that one.  
  
Only one comment to make to my readers:  
  
penultimate-lifeform: Did I REALLY distract you from a Discworld novel? You're joking, right? Whether true or not, that's one of the best damn compliments I've EVER received.  
  
Well, That's it for now!  
See whenever the next chapter rolls its stubborn way out of my stubborn head!  
Keep Writing boys and girls and other things. You never know just where it might take you. 


	10. Bizarre Interlude Number 1

Hero  
By Formerly Known As  
  
Author's Note: Yep, I changed my name. Don't have much else to say about that...  
As the chapter title says, this is just a bizarre little interlude. Largely it's stress relief. I'm having some serious issues with all this application shiaz. It's ticking me off quite honestly. But I'm feeling better after writing this. So here you go. Have fun and merry January the eleventh.  
  
  
Chapter 10  
Bizarre Interlude Number 1  
  
"Can I kill somebody now?"  
  
The question came echoing forth from a dark, impenetrable alcove.  
  
Robotnik glanced vaguely in the alcove's direction but remained silent.  
  
"No, you may not kill any yet."  
  
The reply came from the metallic and monotonous vocal cords of Metal Sonic.  
  
Robotnik glanced in his direction as well, but again remained silent.   
  
A deep, heart broken sigh came from the general direction of the dark alcove.  
  
"Why not?" asked the thing in the alcove.  
  
"Because it isn't time yet," answered Metal Sonic.  
  
The thing in the alcove grunted.  
  
For once Robotnik rather agreed with the thing in the alcove. The answer wasn't a satisfactory one at all. It answered the question in the simplest form yet gave no information. It was, Robotnik reflected, a perfect robot's answer. It didn't satisfy the thing in the alcove though.  
  
"Well, I want to go kill something NOW! And if you don't let me...well I'll just eat you!" came it's cry from the forbidding depths of the alcove.  
  
"You try to kill something now and I will rip out your throat and de-claw you before you even come within ten feet of another being," came the same monotonous reply from Metal Sonic.  
  
The thing in the alcove whined pitilessly, like a child told it could not have a cookie until after dinner. Robotnik shuddered at the grating sound but pretended he didn't hear anything.  
  
The whining died off after a short time. Silence once again filled the room.  
  
"Besides," said Metal Sonic as almost an afterthought. "If you ate me, you'd probably get indigestion."  
  
The thing in the alcove sighed in melancholy agreement with a sigh.  
  
Robotnik glanced at Metal Sonic in shock. Metal Sonic ignored the gave and continued his work. After a bit Robotnik did too.   
  
If it weren't for the obvious impossibilities of metal moving in that way, Robotnik would have sworn that Metal Sonic was grinning. 


	11. Melodies in the Dark

Hero  
By Formerly Known As  
  
Author's Note: Wow, been a while, hasn't it?   
I'm afraid to say, I'm fearing for this story. I think it might be losing continuity. And I think we can all agree that that would be a bad thing. I just hope I'm wrong and that this story will take even me by surprise.  
  
Eh, one can always hope.  
  
Also, big mucho thanks to everyone who stuck with me. It really does mean a lot.  
  
Chapter 11  
Melodies in the Dark  
  
On the darkened streets, Sonic walked alone. The street lights buzzed and hummed. A few ghostly cars made ethereal tracks along the road. Once, the late night monorail rattled past above him, crying a tune of lost passengers, trapped on an endless course in the dark across a city that didn't really care.   
  
The tune sounded familiar to Sonic. It spoke of that lost feeling you had deep inside when you knew that at the end of the line, home wasn't waiting for you. There was no loving wife, no dinner on the table. Not even a decent bed to crawl into. For Sonic, there was nothing but an empty room in a filthy hotel, somewhere in the middle of the city. And currently, Sonic wasn't even sure where that was.  
  
Sonic's lonely thoughts turned towards other, possibly darker matters. In his confused mind one thought rang clear and bright.  
  
Shadow was alive.  
  
Sonic was uncertain as to how he should take this news. He remembered watching in horror and silent agony as Shadow fell, plunging towards absolutely certain death. Sonic remembered the fight before that, against the biolizard, when two had acted as one. Sonic had never felt more power than in that moment, when fighting with Shadow rather than against him. Shadow had said that together, the two of them could spread an incredible wave of chaos and darkness. And Sonic couldn't help but agree. Together, Sonic and Shadow were an incredible force, the likes of which Sonic had never even imagined before.  
  
But that meant little if the two didn't work together. No matter how much power they could have, if the two of them were unable to find a common ground to fight on, then there would be no power. So, Sonic supposed, the two of them should join together. A force like theirs shouldn't be denied.  
  
Then again...Sonic wasn't really all that interested in spreading waves of destruction. It always seemed like it would be rather...depressing.  
  
Besides, it had always been Sonic's life mission to save people. Shadow's plan seemed to...go against that.   
  
Sonic liked to make people happy. Liked to see people's lives a little better off because he was around, saving them from evil tyrants so they didn't have to. But then again...how did that actually make people happier? Certainly they were still free, but free to do what? In general the same things they had done yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that. And the same thing they would do tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. Sonic's little victories over Eggman weren't making anyone's lives better. He was just allowing them to go on as dismally and horribly as they had before. Pretty depressing really.  
  
And now Sonic had the chance to work with Shadow to make people's lives better. By...making...them...worse....  
  
When phrased like that, it didn't make any sense.  
  
Then again, the very fact that Shadow as alive didn't make any sense either.  
  
Shadow himself, with all his dark moods and sudden changes of face, didn't make a lot of sense.  
  
Sonic wasn't making much sense either, right now. Of course that could be because of the fact that it was very late at night and Sonic hadn't slept well all week.   
  
Now that he thought about it, Sonic really should find his way back to his motel room. And sleep. Or try.  
  
Sonic twisted this idea around in his head, letting it take the place of other more depressing ideas for a time. Yeah, sleep would probably help. Make everything clearer. Things often made sense in the morning's light. And it would be easier to get there if he slept through at least most of the night.  
  
Sleep, Sonic thought to himself, would most likely be the most beneficial thing I could do right now.  
  
Sonic immediately turned in the direction he assumed would lead him towards his hotel.  
  
Three blocks later, he decided he was most definitely lost.  
  
Another two blocks and Sonic turned into a nearby bar to get directions. And if he couldn't get directions, at least he could get a stiff drink.  
  
Alcohol or sleep. Whichever came first. 


End file.
